Following intense speculation about the future of the squad’s chief technical officer amid the behind-the-scenes unrest at Red Bull following the controversy surrounding team principal Christian Horner, the Milton Keynes-based team announced on Wednesday that Newey would be departing.
It is not clear if Newey has made a definite decision on his next career steps but he has been most strongly linked with Ferrari, which is eager to lure him on board as part of its effort to get back to the front of the grid. Aston Martin is also a potential suitor.
In a statement, Red Bull said that Newey’s time at the outfit would end in the first quarter of next year and he would attend “specific races” throughout 2024 to continue bringing his valuable input.
Red Bull made clear that despite leaving the F1 operation, Newey would continue to work on Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar project, which is due to be unveiled at Goodwood in July.
The team said: “The engineering supremo will step back from F1 design duties to focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the hugely anticipated RB17. He will remain involved in and committed to this exciting project until its completion.”
Newey has been a part of Red Bull’s F1 team since 2006 and has played an instrumental part in helping the team take seven drivers’ and six constructors’ championship titles.
Speaking about his decision to leave, Newey said that he felt that now was the right moment to step back.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars,” he said. “My dream was to be an engineer in F1, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality.
“For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team.
“However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the team my focus will lie there.”
Horner paid tribute to the input that Newey had made during his time at the squad, as he said his legacy would long live on at Milton Keynes.
“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” he said.
“His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined.
“More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun. For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 championships later he leaves as a true legend.
“He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership. The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 Track Car will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us.”
